A conversation with God requires prayer, meditation and contemplation. These three words are defined by Merriam Webster’s dictionary as follows:
- Prayer – an address to God in word or thought; a set order of words in praying.
- Meditation – to engage in mental exercise for the purpose of reaching a heightened level of spiritual awareness.
- Contemplation – concentration on spiritual things as a form of private devotion, a state of mystical awareness of God’s being.
I think we are all familiar with the more basic definition that praying is talking to God and that meditation with contemplation is hearing from God.
“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people”
Ephesians 6:18 (NIV)
In praying to God you can use recited prayers or your own. You can think them, say them aloud, or write them. Recited prayers come in handy when you are praying with others. For example, the Lord’s Prayer, provided by Jesus and known to many Christians as the “Our Father,” is probably the most famous recited prayer in the world. It is a powerful prayer that provides the ability for any size group to pray in unison to God. However, because we know the prayer so well, we risk diluting its value when we simply recite it from rote memory and not from the heart. We need to concentrate on the meaning of the words as we recite them.
I was raised in a religion that encouraged us to pray to saints to intercede for us. As a result of my spiritual awakening and Bible studies, I have experienced a paradigm shift when it comes to prayer, and especially prayer to the saints. I wondered why we prayed to them? I’m not an expert on saints, but I never heard stories of saints who prayed to other saints for intercession. The majority of these saints had little in common. They came from all walks of life, from different countries, divergent ethnicities, various experiences, educations, and circumstances. They were born at different times throughout history. The only thing they shared in common was their love for God and their personal relationship with Him, a relationship that developed and matured through conversations with Him. Their spiritual maturity evolved to the point where they could speak to God verbally and mentally, and hear him in contemplation.
Recited prayers have their purpose. They allow us to praise God individually and together, in small or large gatherings. Recited prayers can be the default “go-to” when you have a loss of words, and they can be used as stepping stones to more personal prayers from your heart. God is happy to receive all prayers, but an original prayer from the heart has to be more exciting to Him. It just makes sense. Can you imagine being in a one-way conversation with someone who just repeats the same words over and over again? If we are created in God’s image, why do we think He would not want to engage us in a heart-to-heart conversation?
Original personal prayers don’t have to be elaborate or complicated. They can be as simple as “God, help me.” A personal friend shared an experience about when she was a very young, single mom. She had run out of money before the week’s end, and she needed to buy milk for her toddler. She simply asked God to help her. Moments later, while walking home from work, she spotted a five-dollar bill in the grass along the sidewalk.
If you are having a conversation with someone, both speaking and hearing are required and not at the same time. If God is thrilled to get your personal words, then He must be ecstatic when He knows you are hearing Him. Hearing from God is a lot more difficult for most of us. In order to hear from Him you need to physically and mentally prepare yourself.
The first time I heard God’s voice in my adult life, was while sailing across the Atlantic Ocean to deliver a sailboat from the Chesapeake Bay to Tortola, BVI. It was a significant paradigm shift in my spiritual awakening. I was alone at the helm while my crew was sleeping below deck and I heard God’s voice, it was during a night shift and it was completely quiet other than the peaceful sounds of the boat sailing over the water.
I didn’t have any of life’s normal distractions. Now, I have to physically separate myself from everyone and everything. It requires purpose and effort.
Meditation works well, allowing you to completely empty your mind of all thoughts. Think of meditation as the pause between you talking to God and you hearing from Him. Meditation is the process of getting ready to receive his word through the Holy Spirit. Contemplation requires one hundred percent focus on Him, His light, and His love. God chooses the venue of communication. It can come in a variety of ways – in words, thoughts, ideas, or pictures. You will have periods of doubt as to whether you are actually hearing from Him or just having a conversation with yourself. Like everything else, it takes practice.
I have to practice a lot, and fortunately God is very patient and loving. Have I ever told you He is very fond of me? You may also experience what I call “drift.” In the middle of conversing with the Supreme Being, I get distracted by something, whether an unrelated thought, or my mind just wanders. In those instances, I have learned to catch myself and refocus by imagining myself turned toward his light. I feel his smile, and He says, welcome back, and we proceed. Sometimes that happens several times in one conversation, but He is always there, patiently waiting for me to get back from my drift.
The Tipping Point
Consistent effort to communicate with God will eventually bring your spiritual journey to a “tipping point.”
Merriam-Webster defines “tipping point” as “the critical point in a situation, process, or system beyond which a significant and often unstoppable effect or change takes place.”
When Roger Bannister became the first person to run the mile under four minutes, he started a tipping point. Athletes around the world increasingly began breaking the four-minute mile, and now it is a common occurrence.
When a person’s investments provide enough income to fund their life, they hit a tipping point. They no longer have to work for money—their money works for them. Keep in mind that for most investors the tipping point is a slow and pain staking process. It’s not like winning the lottery. It takes years of baby steps for the investor to achieve their financial tipping point.
The tipping point in your spiritual maturity is much simpler to define than to achieve. It’s a point in your relationship with God when you just know, that you know, that you know. Your life is changed forever, and your former life as you knew it is gone. We realize looking back over our lives how different we are from how we used to be. Your spiritual relationship is not based on feelings or emotions, since they can be fleeting. How many times have you or someone you know returned home from a so-called “life-changing” weekend retreat that only turned out to be an emotional religious high that deflated over a few days?
The tipping point comes when your relationship with God is based on fact and not feeling. It is a life-changing transformation where you experience the fullness of God. God is your Alpha, your Omega, your Everything, and you finally understand and appreciate what all that means. God becomes more important to you than your religion, your career, your material things, your own life, and your closest loved ones, including your parents, spouse, and children—because you know that nothing exists without God’s permission. You understand that everyone you love and everything you have, comes from His favoring you with His graces and blessings. You love and trust Him in all things, and you seek his presence in everything.
My prayer for you is to enjoy His presence, discover your gifts, and achieve your tipping point so you can start living the life God intended for you.
Here it is in a nutshell: it all begins by you turning toward His light and allowing the Holy Spirit—God’s Spirit—to help you walk in the spiritual world as you navigate your way through this physical world.
Be a believer – it is your time to shine! -Amen
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